"First of all, I was very pleased. That shows I’m doing something right," Deniz Undav said when asked about public calls from Thomas Müller and Jürgen Klopp for him to start Germany’s World Cup opener on Sunday against Curaçao. "The coach has many options. In the end, it doesn’t matter who starts. You can rely on those who will play. But I was happy to hear that from the two of them. And now we’ll see who plays."
Undav’s reaction turned a routine selection debate into a moment of personal reward: two of German football’s most prominent voices suggested he should replace Jamal Musiala in the team that opens the tournament. He was explicit about what the praise meant to him. "I think it’s good because Thomas knows a lot about football. If he has something to criticize or praise, then it’s probably well-founded. I’m happy when someone like Thomas criticizes or praises me. If he criticizes me, then of course he does it with a good intention, so that I can do better next time. Therefore: No matter what Thomas says, he’s entitled to it," Undav added.
The immediate consequence is mainly public pressure on selection choices rather than a guaranteed change to the starting XI. Undav is still likely to be a bench option for the opener, and he acknowledged as much, saying the coach has many options and that who starts ultimately does not determine the team’s trust in those who play. The Germany–Curaçao match on Sunday presents a low-risk setting in which the manager can rotate without the stakes that will come later in the tournament.
The endorsement from Müller and Klopp is the clearest sign yet that Undav’s form has caught attention beyond club circles. It also crystallizes the debate around Germany’s attacking setup: whether to deploy Musiala or hand a starting berth to Undav. For Undav, praise from senior figures translates into personal validation rather than immediate selection leverage — he framed it as encouragement and as constructive criticism when necessary.
That simple link between outside endorsement and inside decision is where the story strains. A recent report said Julian Nagelsmann will not change his mind on Jamal Musiala, a detail that undercuts the effect Müller’s and Klopp’s comments could have on the lineup. If Nagelsmann is set on Musiala, the public backing for Undav becomes symbolic rather than decisive — loud support that may raise expectations but not alter the coach’s plan for Sunday.
Undav himself named the limits of such outside intervention. He repeated that the coach has many options and emphasized team depth: "In the end, it doesn’t matter who starts. You can rely on those who will play." That was both a gracious deflection and a practical acknowledgment that the opening match may be the wrong moment to force a headline switch. Against Curaçao the selection argument likely will not matter; tougher games lie ahead where the choice between Musiala and Undav would carry real tactical consequence.
So what happens next is straightforward and narrow: Nagelsmann will name a lineup on matchday, and that decision will answer whether Müller’s and Klopp’s endorsements moved the needle. If Musiala starts, the episode will read as a vote of confidence for the coach’s continuity; if Undav starts, it will be a clear sign that external pressure and form combined to alter plans before the tournament’s competitive heat builds. Either way, Undav said he is ready and pleased by the support — and, for now, willing to let the coach make the call.
